Across the Bay 10k

Maryland

Across the Bay 10k

This annual event is the only way to cross the majestic bridge on foot.

The Across the Bay 10k is one of the largest, most exciting mid-distance events anywhere. 4.35 miles of the 10k course takes place over water on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Annapolis, Maryland. The event lasts all weekend and will include a 10k, kid's fun run during the race expo at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, and a live concert on race morning at the finish line in Queen Anne's County that is free and open to all.

This 10 kilometer, 6.2 mile point-to-point course will take runners over the eastbound span of the 4.35 mile long Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which reaches 186 feet at its tallest point. Runners will experience water vistas dotted with sailboats and cargo ships from atop a major dual-span bridge that doesn't allow pedestrian traffic at any other time of the year. This event happens once a year and is the only way to cross this majestic span on foot.

After departing the start line near Northrop Grumman Bay Side campus, participants travel about a half mile over MDTA property before they leave the western shore and begin ascending the eastbound span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. There is a gradual but sustained climb for approximately 1.7 miles until you reach the midpoint of the bridge and the first water station. During those first two miles, runners will climb to nearly 200 feet above sea level. The climb isn't overly steep and has a maximum grade of only 3 percent. You will be almost 200 feet above the bay—so don't forget to check out the view! The race is open to participants of various levels of fitness and physical abilities as long as you are able to complete the event in under two and half hours.

Fortunately, what goes up must come down. After passing through the water station, runners descend the same 200 feet over the course of two miles before reaching the eastern shore and our legendary finisher's celebration.

History

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge, officially named the William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridge, provides vehicular access between Annapolis (Sandy Point) and Maryland’s Eastern Shore (Stevensville). When completed in 1952, the original two-lane span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was the world’s longest continuous over-water steel structure. A second span was completed in 1973. The heavily-traveled bridge links Virginia, D.C. and Baltimore to coastal communities such as Ocean City, MD, Rehoboth Beach, DE and other Eastern Shore communities. Annual traffic on the bridge is estimated to exceed 25.5 million vehicles.

Unlike other landmark bridges, such as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge does not accommodate pedestrians. But from 1975 to 2006, two popular public events gave walkers and runners a chance to cross the bridge and enjoy the stunning views of the Chesapeake Bay.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Walk began in 1975 after a Boy Scout leader in Towson asked then-Governor Marvin Mandel if his troop could walk across the bridge while it was closed for maintenance. The event grew from there. Sponsored by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), which is responsible for the bridge and the state’s seven other toll facilities, the walk would eventually attract more than 40,000 participants each May.

In April of 1985, the Annapolis Striders, a local running organization, spearheaded and conducted the first Governor’s Bay Bridge Run (GBBR), which in later years took place early in the morning before the annual walk. Controlled by MDTA and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), this 10k marked the first competitive road race over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Since then, various groups have appealed to the state of Maryland to bring an event back to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. None of these efforts succeeded until a team led by St. Michaels, Md,, residents Peter Paris and Sparrow Rogers proposed what is now known as the Across the Bay 10k. This was made possible by a partnership between Queen Anne’s County, Chesapeake Bay Bridge Run, LLC, and the MDTA to organize and stage the privately-funded Across the Bay 10k, beginning with the inaugural run in 2014.